TABUSINTAC, ALNWICK PARISH, NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, NEW BRUNSWICK Thomas A. Murray [[email protected]] February 2, 2003 Page 1 of 93 The village of Tabusintac is an amalgam of those peoples of New Brunswick. Its early peoples include the First nations, Acadians, pre-Loyalists, Loyalists, disbanded military, Irish emigrants of the early 1800’s, and later arrivals. It was initially created as a settlement about 1798 by Philip Hierlihy and others, who had been on the Miramichi River well before then; but the key figure has always been held to be Philip’s wife, Charlotte Taylor. There is hardly anyone (IF there is anyone) from Tabusintac who is not descended from Charlotte and her children. There had been people who had been in Tabusintac before 1798, but the permanent residency dates from then. In the two centuries since 1798, people of the Tabusintac family have spread across the North American continent. In addition, many of the early settlers, particularly the Loyalists, were descended from families which had been in North America since the early 1600’s. Thus, they have many ancestral ties to the United States of America. A special relationship appears to exist between Tabusintac, and the Loyalist settlers of the Bedeque area of Prince Edward Island. There were a large number of relationships and communications which seem to have continued until recent times. A similar relationship exists with Plaster Rock, in Victoria Co., NB. Fishing was a major enterprise, but logging has always been the main activity. After the Miramichi Fire of 1825, many sought employment in logging elsewhere, especially Maine. This began a trend in which families migrated to Michigan, and then to the West Coast. With the New Brunswickers went tales of Paul Bunyan, who appears to originally to have been a French Canadian running a logging camp in New Brunswick; but not originally of the stature later ascribed to him. Where those tales went, there were people from the North Shore. To begin a discussion of the genealogies of the Tabusintac families, it seems fitting to start with Charlotte Taylor, her children and grandchildren. It is not my intention to discuss her fascinating history as Mary Lynn Smith has brilliantly done so on her web site listed below. There are a fair number of works relating to these families, and I have gathered what basic information I can, and compiled it below. With the next generations, relationships become highly complex, but my compilation may, at least, offer a beginning to those who are interested, but new, to those complexities. As a result, not all that could be written is written, that is for another time. For example, in my own family, John Murray and his sisters have descendants whose lines interweave with those mentioned below far beyond the hints given. The story of the Murrays of Tabusintac and of Bedeque is a separate story, and the Rev. H. Arthur Murray has provided an extensive basis in his work. There is some question of the spelling of surnames. For example, whether William Urquhart, s/o the Rev. John and Mary (McIntyre) Urquhart, married Margaret Milligan or Milliken. In the 1861 census, and Andrew Milligan, b. ca. 1777, appears; possibly Margaret’s brother (margaret was b. about the same time.) However, census returns are very unreliable; for example “Robison” for Robertson. There is the question of Johnstone versus Johnston. Since I suspect that these are members of the famous border clan, I often use Johnstone. PERSONS: The following list of persons is partially based on Campbell’s survey of 1804, and partially on my memory. It is meant to be a start at a collection of the initial ancestors of some Tabusintac families. It is incomplete, in that some persons are not included; and incorrect in that some of those persons soon sold out and left Tabusintac, leaving no descendants. Even so, it is a start. In the cases of Capt. John Blake, Lt. William Wishart, Pvt. Duncan Robertson and Sgt. Philip Hierlihy, their children are indicated below. In using their military ranks, it should not be thought that Duncan Robertson, as the lowest rank, held the least prestigious position. As a member of the Black Watch, he was part of the premiere infantry regiment of that time, and for many decades to come. Some, perhaps many, of his descendants were the first members of the Canadian Black Watch, and this may not be a coincidence. In Scotland, after 1715, it was illegal to wear plaid; unless one was a member of a highland regiment. It became a matter of enormous prestige amongst the young, Scottish gentry to be members of these regiments, and to wear the tartan. Thus, officers were often members of the nobility, and it was not unheard of for a private soldier to arrive in the morning on his horse, his servants carrying his gear and weapons, dismounting, turning his horse over to a servant, and TABUSINTAC, ALNWICK PARISH, NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, NEW BRUNSWICK Thomas A. Murray [[email protected]] February 2, 2003 Page 2 of 93 falling into his place in the ranks. This is not to say that Duncan Robertson was a member of some noble family in the usual sense. However, the Black Watch had as its Colonel-in-Chief, at the time of the American Revolution, Lord John Murray, brother of the Duke of Atholl. Atholl district was once a Pictish realm, and the mormaers of that area were the Robertson ancestors. While it is true that in most clans (especially Murray) having the same name did not necessarily mean a kinship to the chief of that clan (supporters often assumed the surname); in the case of the Robertsons, such a relationship (if ancient) was more likely. Since Lord John was especially active in raising battalions of the Watch, it is very possible that Duncan was one of those so recruited; and possibly joined as a person of some standing. That many of the families in Tabusintac are Scottish may not be entirely accidental either. William Davidson, in attempting to settle the Miramichi before 1776, may have attempted to recruit his compatriots, and a feeling of commonality may have drawn others after 1783. These Scots come from diverse areas in Scotland, so it was not a case of relationship. In the upheaval of the times, the suggestion of one Scot to another that this was a good place to settle would have had more weight than the suggestion of someone else. Since many of these Scottish families appear to have origins in Dumfries, Scotland, I sense a gathering that transcends mere happenstance, but the mysteries of that gathering have not yet been revealed. JAMES ANDERSON m. m. ca. 1798 MARY MURRAY (b. probably Harpersfield, NY ca. 1773 (age 78 census of 1851), d. 1857), d/o John and Mary (Kennedy) Murray. In the 1851 census of Tabusintac, Mary was living with her two sons, James (age 54) and William (age 52.) All were b. in NB. Mary was infirm. Since the ages for the two sons and the place-of-birth for Mary are incorrect, this could be another Anderson family, but I would be at a loss to explain what other family it could be. That in the case of the 1851 census we have bachelor brothers, James and William Anderson, living with their mother, Mary; and that we have Mary (Murray) Anderson’s sons as bachelors, buried together in Burnt Church, seems too much of a coincidence. 1. MARGARET ANDERSON b. ca. 1800, m. ALEXANDER STEWART 2. JANET ANDERSON b. Oak Point, Northumberland Co., NB ca. 1812, m. JAMES SIMPSON (b. ca. 1808, d. ca. 1861, came to NB 1830), possibly s/o John Simpson and Ellen (or Eleanor) (Hyde) Simpson 3. WILLIAM ANDERSON b. 6APR1803, d. 10AUG1857, bur. First Presbyterian Church Cem., Burnt Church, Alnwick Parish, Northumberland Co., NB, unm. Headstones in First Presbyterian Church Cem., Burnt Church, Alnwick Parish, Northumberland Co., NB IN MEMORY OF WILLIAM ANDERSON BORN APRIL 6, 1803 DIED AUG. 10, 1857 JAMES ANDERSON BORN MAY 6, 1806 DIED NOV. 25 1866 (FOOT MARKER W.A. - J.A.) 4. JAMES ANDERSON b. 6MAY1806, d. 25NOV1866, bur. First Presbyterian Church Cem., Burnt Church, Alnwick Parish, Northumberland Co., NB, unm. 5. MARY ANDERSON b. 24MAY1808, d. 28FEB1901, bur. First Presbyterian Church Cem., Burnt Church, Alnwick Parish, Northumberland Co., NB, m. JOHN CASSIDY (b. Nova Scotia ca. 1797, d. 29JAN1872 aet. 74 years, bur. First Presbyterian Church Cem., Burnt Church, Alnwick Parish, Northumberland Co., NB), s/o John and Lady Elizabeth (Mackie) Cassidy. (There is some question as to John’s parents, and an alternate offering is James and Martha (Turnbull) Cassidy. See Cassidy below. 6. ELIZABETH ANDERSON b. 1APR1810, d. 21MAY1884, bur. First Presbyterian Church Cem., Burnt Church, Alnwick Parish, Northumberland Co., NB, m. 17OCT1839 ROBERT DAVIDSON (b. Oak Point, NB 30MAR1796 (headstone says 30MAR1800), d. Burnt Church, NB 08OCT1886, bur. First Presbyterian Church Cem., Burnt Church, Alnwick Parish, Northumberland Co., NB), s/o John and Margaret (Loggie) Davidson. (See Hugh Murray [34].) 7. JANET ANDERSON b. Oak Point, Northumberland Co., NB ca. 1812, m. JAMES SIMPSON (b. ca. 1808), s/o? John and Helen (Eleanor) (Hyde) Simpson 8. JOHN ANDERSON b. ca. 1814, d. 2OCT1874 aet. 60 years, bur. First Presbyterian Church Cem., Burnt Church, Alnwick Parish, Northumberland Co., NB, m. MARGARY LOGGIE (b. TABUSINTAC, ALNWICK PARISH, NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, NEW BRUNSWICK Thomas A. Murray [[email protected]] February 2, 2003 Page 3 of 93 ca. 1816, d. 23FEB1879 aet. 62 years, bur. First Presbyterian Church Cem., Burnt Church, Alnwick Parish, Northumberland Co., NB JOHN (JOHN JAMES HENRY) ASHFORD b.